October Language Goals

Happy mid-autumn festival! 中秋節快樂!

Today is October first and it’s time to think about this month’s language goals!

In the past few years, my studying has been sporadic. I will study a lot for a week and then nothing for the rest of the month. This has allowed me to retain most of what I learned before becoming a mom but I haven’t been making much forward progress. I really want to make language learning a priority so that I can travel to other countries and be able to speak to people! I want to be able to visit a restaurant that doesn’t have an English menu and still be able to order dinner.

In most areas, I know enough Chinese to be able to enjoy simple media written for native speakers. My Japanese is a little weaker. Whenever possible, I prefer to spend my study time with native materials rather than grammar books or flashcards. That being said, study materials are still important.

Beginning Chinese Textbook

Chinese

Reading – I follow several Taiwanese bloggers on Facebook. I will read one blog post per week.

Writing – Write four posts on HelloTalk and review all corrections.

Speaking – This is a tough one. I have a language exchange partner I’ve been meeting via Zoom the past few weeks. But I’ve been too scared to try to talk to her in Chinese! I want to try this month. No time goals. The aim is just to open my mouth and speak Chinese.

Listening – Spend one hour listening to podcasts without using subtitles (in either Chinese or English).

Study materials – Catch up on Anki flashcards. I am so far behind! Complete one lesson from my Beginning Chinese textbook.

Elementary Japanese Textbook

Japanese

Reading – Find someone to follow on Facebook who posts in Japanese. Read four Facebook posts and add two new vocabulary words to my Anki deck.

Writing – Post four times on HelloTalk and learn from all corrections.

Speaking – I don’t have a speaking goal as my ability to craft sentences is currently extremely weak. Maybe record myself speaking basic greetings just to get in the habit of using Japanese.

Listening – I am immersed in Japanese music. Almost every single day, I listen to j-pop on YouTube. Yesterday I listened for 30 minutes while making dinner. I listen closely for words and phrases that I know.

Study materials – Catch up on Anki. My kana flashcard deck is seriously behind. Study one chapter from my Japanese textbook.

Flashcard backlog

What are your language goals for October? Are they actionable? Let me know!

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